- The fourth Test match between India and England played at the newly refurbished Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad ended as anticipated throwing no surprises in the script which went the Indian way to the last word. An innings and 25 runs victory in the last Test of the series was as comprehensive and one-side as any contest can get rewarding the Indian Team with an impressive 3-1 victory margin. Such a stellar performance also ensured Team India booking place in the World Test Championship to be held in England in June against the other qualifier, New Zealand.
PC: ANI
- The Indian team completely dominated the series after the first Test in Chennai is stating the obvious. The loss in the first Test can be largely attributed to the fatigue factor seeping in after months of staying and playing in the bio-bubble. Hence, the players were found to be quite flat with body language not living up to the usual expectations. Since then, the host team has been performing nearer to perfection dishing out one outstanding performance after another subduing the visiting team convincingly. The England team was expected to offer a tough challenge after wins in Sri Lanka but were completely outplayed here on the back of tremendous performances by hosts.
- People following the entire Test series would have been baffled by the amount of attention grabbed by the cricket pitches on offer which conveniently overlooked the below-par exhibition of skillsets by the England team in all departments of the game. Be it batting, bowling, fielding, catching, or for that matter, team selection, the Indian team was almost picture-perfect as compared to the opposition. No wonder, the result amply substantiates the score-line in favour of the hosts. With this series win, the Indian Team caps an eventful summer of Test Cricket following their historic win in Australia.
PC: hindustantimes
- As a keen observer of the game, the England Team could have demonstrated a more worthy presentation of skills, especially the batting, as except for Captain Joe Root’s monumental double hundred, none of the batsmen could place a price tag on their respective wicket right through the series. Even Root too went off the boil after the century rendering the entire unit bereft of posing reasonable challenges to the Indian team. Though bowlers from England were quite competent, lack of runs on the board eventually did them in. Also, many of the key moments in the game were grabbed by the home team youngsters that proved extremely crucial in the final analysis.
- No praise is enough to describe the scintillating exhibition of skills sets by mercurial Ravichandran Ashwin, dazzling Rishabh Pant, sublime Rohit Sharma, and spectacular debut performances of Axar Patel who emerged as an exemplary player in the making with a bright future reckoning. Now, the focus shifts to a limited-overs format with 5 T20Is followed by 3 ODIs in the offing where tough competition is expected from the English side. Over to the slam-bang variety.
